


no regrets (just love)

by mercurywrites



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage Contracts, Ong Seongwu/Park Jihoon - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-24 01:49:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19713841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercurywrites/pseuds/mercurywrites
Summary: “Hey, Daniel.” His arm shakes gently. “If neither of us are taken by the age of 27, let’s get married."There’s a pause before Daniel answers in which he seemingly takes some time to process what Seongwu had just proposed. Seongwu readies himself for rejection - it’s just a stupid idea after all. Unbeknownst to Seongwu, Daniel never has to consider following through with Seongwu’s ideas. Call it reckless, but Daniel doesn’t think that there is anything he can’t do if Seongwu is right beside him in the process.“Okay.”





	1. one

Night breeze cards its fingers through Daniel’s locks, messing his hair up in the most welcome way. Beneath him, the grass shakes with the force of the wind. It is always chilly in April up in Seoul. He takes a moment to thank himself for remembering to grab a jacket before he rushed out of his house when Seongwu called him up for dinner a few hours ago. To his side, Seongwu looks significantly less thankful for the weather.

“God, _fuck_ , this weather is out for my balls,” Seongwu curses. Where Daniel has his knees folded just because he has bad sitting posture, Seongwu’s knees are hugged right against his chest. Seongwu has his shoulders hunched over as he nurses his beer, and if Daniel didn’t know that Seongwu is almost as tall as he is, he would have been fooled by how small Seongwu looks right now. Daniel isn’t heartless enough to not offer his jacket, but Seongwu rejected it with the reason that Daniel would then be cold like him too.

The imagery of it elicits a laugh from Daniel, light and calming, just like the wind. It goes on for a minute or so, because Daniel isn’t Daniel if he stops laughing at something that easily. Amidst all the teeth chattering and other exaggerations of the weather Seongwu could muster for as long as they settled down, he cracks a smile too. Daniel can see the reflection of the lampposts lined along the roads of the Hangang river in the form of a twinkle in Seongwu’s eyes, and he thinks the yellow light does Seongwu well in helping him look younger. 

Next to him, Seongwu whines, startling Daniel out of his reverie. Breaking habits has never been Daniel’s forte, especially not this particular habit he has of voicing his thoughts out verbally. “I’m still in college, Daniel.”

“Yet you talk like you’re pushing forty.”

“It isn’t my fault my bones are more fragile than others!” Seongwu’s bottom lip only juts out further, and he reminds Daniel of a five year old kid acting out. He looks so adorable Daniel almost coos. Sensing that Daniel wouldn’t give up poking fun at him anytime soon, Seongwu huffs and picks up his unfinished can of beer. “You should watch it when you dance too. Wouldn’t want to end up like me.”

“You’ll always take care of my wounds and make sure my bones don’t crack when I walk down the stairs though.” It comes out sounding more like a statement than originally intended, though Daniel guesses it isn’t too strayed from its preconceived meaning at all. In all the futures he had imagined when he has the luxury of time, there isn’t one that’s void of Seongwu. Perhaps it violates the _bro_ code a little, to think about moving out after college and settling down together in a cozy apartment with two cats, but Daniel has always been toeing the lines of it even when he was just a mere junior who Seongwu waved to every now and then.

It took some courage and a stroke of luck when Seongwu stepped into the dance studio the same day Daniel was due for his first class and even more pep talks before he finally approached his hyung only to start rambling about his admiration for him. The red on Seongwu’s cheeks that bloomed from exhaustion was soon replaced by a blush and Daniel doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the laugh he was graced with. Of course, he had forgotten to do the most important thing even though his mouth couldn’t stop moving when he was faced with the same person he had wanted to be friends with for the longest time. It wasn’t until Daniel settled into bed that night, content and giggly, replayed the day’s events in his mind did he discover that he hadn’t even told Seongwu his _name_.

Seongwu took care of that though. 

During the break of the next practice, Seongwu walked right up to a panting, sweaty Daniel and extended his hand. _I’m Seongwu_ , he said, genial and good looking despite the fact that his hair was sticking together in ways that would normally be perceived as unattractive. _I know,_ Daniel wanted to reply. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration. Seongwu’s kind of known in the school for being that senior everyone has a crush on. Daniel’s kind of dumb enough to think they could be great friends. Instead, he said _I’m Daniel_ right back.

And so, the friendship was sealed with a handshake.

“He’s an asshole,” Seongwu begins, reminding Daniel of the very reason they met tonight. 

Dinner was supposed to consist of takeout and a drama series, maybe ice cream if he’s feeling particularly indulgent. However, at five p.m., Seongwu texted Daniel that he needed company and asked if he could meet at their usual place for dinner. Needless to say, takeout was immediately cancelled as Daniel pushed himself off the couch to get dressed.

Over dinner, Seongwu confessed that he had just broken up with his boyfriend, and the only person he wanted to see then was Daniel. Daniel doesn’t tell him that he had never been approving of the relationship anyway. When they had group gatherings, Seongwu’s boyfriend never bothered greeting any of his friends - it was always Seongwu initiating, Seongwu trying to fight back the awkward smile when he tried to involve his boyfriend in conversations. Aside from those times, Seongwu never had much to complain about his boyfriend. Daniel decided that the most he could do was keep a watchful eye on his hyung anyway.

Inching himself closer to Seongwu while hoping that his body heat could be shared through the space they have between them, Daniel finishes up his can of beer. “Right, he is.” 

All Seongwu offers is a sigh as he straightens up and begins burrowing an arm under Daniel’s free one. “Just lend me your shoulder for a minute.”

The weight of Seongwu’s head rests on his shoulder within seconds, and Daniel has to physically keep himself from fidgeting to make sure Seongwu remains comfortable. He half expects Seongwu to continue. Being Seongwu’s best friend meant listening to all of his sorrows, which meant that he knew about the in and outs of the relationship, the good and the bad. Seongwu guesses Daniel doesn’t need much background context to understand his words, as usual.

More silence transpires between them, with occasional noises of what sounds like other teenagers biking and cheering filling in the gaps. Seongwu’s gaze is fixed on the stillness of the river, seemingly having drifted off into space with all the thoughts running through his mind. Daniel can almost hear the cogs in his brain working. 

“Daniel.” 

Said man’s head snaps to meet Seongwu’s gaze without hesitation. When he looks down, Seongwu has his chin perched on Daniel’s shoulder instead, eyes glazed over with something he can’t name. Daniel isn’t prepared for the truckload of feelings that slam right into his gut when he notices that Seongwu’s lips are just right _there_. The ghost of Seongwu’s breath greets Daniel with every exhale. Daniel finds it hard to breathe as easily. “Have you ever thought about getting married?”

Daniel blinks, taking a second to ground himself. “What do you mean?”

Seongwu’s frown is accompanied by the pout of his lips, and his words slur in the way that definitely means he’s drunk. A peek at Seongwu’s side lets him know that ever since they first sat down, four cans have been finished. His low threshold for alcohol is adorable. “I mean, in the future. Have you thought about how it’d be like to settle down?” 

Mirroring Seongwu’s expression, Daniel’s own brows pinch together. Being this close is unchartered territory that Daniel wants to cross again and again - only with Seongwu’s permission, of course. There’s simply too much to lose if one wrong step is taken. Daniel swallows and turns away to look forth, hoping that would relieve some of the heat that comes from Seongwu’s own body against his.

“Not really. Why?”

Seongwu shrugs. “Just wondering.” 

Daniel fixes Seongwu with a skeptical look, to which Seongwu answers with yet another shrug. Any conversation dies down after that, for Seongwu doesn’t add anything more. It’s confusing at best, but Daniel figures he could ask about it in the future - that is, if he manages to get his mind off the images of all the _could be_ s and _what if_ s for long enough.

“Hey, Daniel.” His arm shakes gently. “If neither of us are taken by the age of 27, let’s get married.”

There’s a pause before Daniel answers in which he seemingly takes some time to process what Seongwu had just proposed. Seongwu readies himself for rejection - it’s just a stupid idea after all. Unbeknownst to Seongwu, Daniel never has to consider following through with Seongwu’s ideas. Call it reckless, but Daniel doesn’t think that there is anything he can’t do if Seongwu is right beside him in the process. 

“Okay.” 

—

“What took you so long?”

The television is halfway through its replay of _Captain Marvel_ when Daniel steps in, eyes darting around the apartment as he begins to take in the scene in front of him. When he looks to his right, he finds the owner of the voice looking at him with a frown, disapproving but not entirely mean in its intentions. Truth is, work had taken up a little more time than expected but work is also boring and Daniel didn’t come to his friend’s Christmas party to talk about floor plans and building interiors.

Instead, Daniel takes the extra cup of beer that’s in Jisung’s outstretched hand, clearly prepared in advance for someone. His grin widens when Jisung realizes Daniel intends to leave his question hanging. “Do you always walk around with two cups of beer?”

Jisung’s back straightens, ready to jump to his own defence and chide Daniel while he’s at it, but he’s interrupted when someone walks past them on their way to the couch. Jaehwan gestures at the crowd seated around and on the couch. Daniel immediately realizes who’s missing. “At least he isn’t the latest.”

There’s four heads, but that is as expected. There’s a few other people he doesn’t recognize, though he’s sure the introductions will come later anyway. That leaves only one person who has yet to show up. “Where’s Seongwu?”

“Beats me.” Daniel’s frown deepens. When he last followed up with Seongwu about his attendance regarding this gathering, Seongwu had provided him with an affirmative that he would be there. Daniel vividly remembers the winking kitten sticker that was sent to him, and how that sent his heart beating a little faster just like his college days. A glance at the clock tells him that Seongwu isn’t even that late anyway - only one hour has passed since the agreed meeting time. _There is no cause for worry yet_ , Daniel tells himself as he throws his head back with a gulp of his alcohol. 

Making his way around the couch, Daniel greets every one of his hyungs and shakes hands with the new people they brought along, delighted to make new friends as always. Jaehwan shouts for people who aren’t watching the movie to get off the couch. Daniel chuckles at the ruckus he gets in return as they all hurry to shut him up, regardless of whether they were paying attention or if they were making conversation amongst themselves.

Much to Jaehwan’s chagrin, hushed whispers continue throughout. Daniel isn’t normally a fan of noise that isn’t made by him when he’s trying to watch a movie, but he doesn’t have any complaints - he has already caught this movie with Seongwu anyway. Really, Daniel is a bigger fan than Seongwu ever was, but Daniel is nothing if not the master of persuasion when he managed to drag Seongwu to watch every new movie with him throughout the years. It started off with whines of _But I wouldn’t even understand anything!_ to _When’s the next movie coming out?_ Eventually, Seongwu grew to have his own ideas about the universe which he shared with Daniel too, and Daniel couldn’t be happier to hear his favourite person talk about one of his favourite things. 

Sungwoon is in the midst of settling down with the fifth bowl of freshly made popcorn when the door opens. Everyone pauses to look at the intruder. They are greeted with Seongwu waving his hand sheepishly instead.

“Hello?”

“You’re late,” Jaehwan says, never passing up a chance to state the obvious.

“I’m sorry.” Seongwu puts on his best apologetic look as Jaehwan rolls his eyes, although he promptly moves aside to make space for Seongwu on the loveseat when Seongwu takes a few more steps in. Daniel’s eyes never leave his form, noticing how Seongwu’s hair is definitely shorter than the last time they met. Nothing else has changed about him, not that Daniel could tell. In Daniel’s eyes, Seongwu still looks perfect. His carefully styled hair matches his rather casual outfit today. It’s clear that he’s only been getting a decent amount of sleep, yet he doesn’t look like the population of Korea trampled all over his face like Daniel does when he lacks rest. He can still make out the position of Seongwu’s moles even from a distance, and Daniel thinks there isn’t another person who can manage to look effortlessly good like Seongwu does. Behind him, Daniel notices that the door opens again and someone he doesn’t recognize steps into the house after Seongwu. 

He doesn’t seem to be the only one that’s surprised, as the movie plays in the background with no one’s eyes on the television anymore. Seongwu places himself beside the stranger when he’s done stealing popcorn from an annoyed Jaehwan. With an arm around his shoulders, the stranger is introduced with the widest grin Daniel has yet to see today.

“This is Park Jihoon. My boyfriend.”

A chorus of whistles erupts from their friends, and the other man’s - _Jihoon_ \- head bows with an embarrassed laugh. He’s cute. Daniel finds himself unable to look away from the way Seongwu’s hand tightens around his shoulder, clearly trying to help him settle into this situation where there are more strangers than friends. 

Introductions are done again with a series of eyebrow wiggles, in which Seongwu jokingly tells them to quit it with a concerned glance at his boyfriend. When it comes to Daniel’s turn, he makes quick work of it in case Seongwu or Jihoon notice the way he’s quivering just the slightest.

Instead of taking the seat Jaehwan offered, Seongwu opts to slide in right beside Daniel on the couch. A few people shift to accommodate the new positions, but the commotion quickly dies down when they realize that a fight scene is about to happen in the movie.

“Hey.” 

Daniel’s concentration is broken when Seongwu speaks, voice low and quietened so as not to disturb any others. He tries to pay no mind to how Seongwu leaned in to make sure Daniel could hear him.

“Hey, you.”

Seongwu doesn’t lean away still. Daniel resolutely keeps his eyes on the screen. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“Yeah, I am,” Daniel says with a mouthful of half-chewed popcorn. Truth is, he isn’t sure if he is. There’s a weird feeling beginning in the pit of his belly. It’s unsettling him, yet it only makes him feel uncomfortable at best. It must be the lack of proper dinner. Stretching his hand out, he attempts to offer the bowl to Seongwu without even looking. He feels a slight dip in the bowl that lets him know that Seongwu had reached in, and keeps it there for a few moments as Seongwu stuffs himself full of the sweet snack. “So, new boyfriend, huh?”

“Yeah. I wanted to let everyone know at once.” A nudge to the bowl tells Daniel that Seongwu is done. He doesn’t waste a second in reaching his hand in again, trying to busy himself with something.

“Mhm, fair enough.” Taking his eyes off the ongoing scene for a moment, Daniel looks at Seongwu’s side only to see him conversing with Sungwoon about something. They seem more into their chat than the movie, judging by their animated expressions and hand gestures. Sungwoon isn’t someone who’s difficult to befriend, but Jihoon getting along with him is definitely a good sign already. “He seems nice.”

Without turning to look at Jihoon, Seongwu’s clean hand moves to rest on his thigh. Daniel catches a glimpse of the way Jihoon lowers a hand to link their fingers together as he holds the conversation. It sends his blood rushing to places that makes him a little dizzy. He should probably go home early tonight. “He really is. I got lucky with this one.”

The movie ends without much fanfare after. Pizza arrives right as the ending credits roll in, and only intellectuals like Daniel and Seongwu know to stay behind for the extra scenes _Marvel_ movies always puts in at the end of a movie. 

The crowd eventually migrates from the couch to the dining table, and Daniel steps back after grabbing a slice. He watches the others fight over the last remaining piece of pizza with an amused expression. 

This is something he has definitely missed. 

He’s thankful that he has a friend group that sets time aside for each other to meet on birthdays and important holidays even after all these years, that it doesn’t feel like more than a day has passed since they were at each other’s graduation ceremonies, buying a bouquet of a type of flowers each to make up a cacophony of colours and breeds instead of coming together to buy a thoughtfully arranged one. 

Daniel remembers spending the entire day with Seongwu after his ceremony just walking around and grabbing whatever food they could afford off street stalls, all while Seongwu carried enough flowers to decorate a wedding in his hands. Clearly the years of watching his older friends graduate did nothing to urge Seongwu to prepare for something similar to happen to him, which led him to be at a loss when bouquet after bouquet was presented to him. Naturally, the role of feeding Seongwu fell on Daniel when he insisted on taking care of his own mess. The satisfied sounds Seongwu made upon being fed did more to warm his heart and belly than the delicious food they shared did.

He’s so preoccupied with reminiscing that he doesn’t notice when someone has occupied the previously empty space to his side. Shouts of _you don’t even like pineapples on pizza!_ fly right over his head as he stares into space. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been looking a little dazed all evening.” 

Daniel startles at the sudden noise, not realizing that he had travelled back to the past yet again. This is the second time he has been asked the same question in an evening. Perhaps he should really think of excusing himself home earlier.

He considers telling Jisung the truth. 

If there is someone who Daniel trusts with absolutely no reservations and isn’t Seongwu in this room, it has to be him. But he doesn’t, because he doesn’t want to have this conversation when everyone is around. The thought of someone overhearing and joining to poke fun at Daniel sends his head pounding.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” His smile is dandy as he leans his weight against the older’s side obnoxiously, using him as an armrest. Jisung makes a show of being annoyed as he bristles, but he makes no move to remove himself from Daniel. Daniel takes it as a win.

“Because someone brought in a boyfriend?” At that accusation, Daniel stiffens up. His mind blanks at being read so thoroughly and when he looks at Jisung, he finds that the older has an _I just know it_ expression on his face. Daniel doesn’t doubt it. All the years of friendship has proven that there are some things that just don’t need explaining.

Tugging the corners of his lips up into a smile, Daniel stretches them as far as they will go. “I’m over it, hyung.”

The look on Jisung’s face tells Daniel that not one bit of his sentence is taken seriously. He supposes that’s what one should do with a lie as transparent as the sky. Jisung understands that the conversation is over when Daniel directs his gaze away from him to someone a little further, someone who’s currently in the middle of playing board games with his other friends.

“If you say so,” Jisung says, frowning when he realizes that Daniel hadn’t heard it at all.

Back in the living room, four people crowd around the Monopoly board. With three players considerably poorer than one other, it is already obvious who the winner will be. The victor isn’t any less excited when the game ends with the other players jailed or broke or unable to continue in one way or another though, because he stands up abruptly to pump his fists into the air in a cheer. The water in the cup he has in his other hand sloshes and spills over as a result, drenching his shirt and pants.

A surprised shriek tears itself from Seongwu’s throat when he is suddenly covered with water, and Daniel pushes himself off of Jisung’s side without needing to be told. Before he can make his way towards Seongwu, Jihoon springs up to initiate damage control. The cup is passed over to Jihoon’s small hand and they share a laugh over how clumsy Seongwu is. Seongwu buries his face in his hands as he whines - a habit Daniel had learned to recognize as embarrassment. 

Daniel wonders if Jihoon knows. 

Daniel wonders if Jihoon knows about Seongwu’s other tics too; about Seongwu’s habit of biting into his nails when he’s nervous, about Seongwu’s habit of raising his fist instead of his hand. 

When Seongwu finally removes his hands away from his face, the tips of his ears are red in the most endearing way possible. Jihoon snakes a hand down to pat Seongwu’s ass in his way of urging the older male towards the washroom to clean himself and Daniel resigns himself back to his position on the counter. 

Right. 

For all the years he spent toeing lines, Daniel sure doesn’t know where to draw one.


	2. two

Tapping his feet to an unknown beat, Daniel peeks his head out to the side to check out the number of people left till he’s in the front of the queue.

Ten.

He sighs.

It can’t be helped. The cafe is especially busy during lunch hours, Daniel already knew. No other place brews coffee quite like them though, and the deadlines piled on him have him going for cup after cup recently. 

Normally, it’d be his secretary doing the runs, but she’s out of the office for the day and Daniel thinks he can use some fresh air as well.

The aroma of the roasted beans was a welcome idea until he spotted the crowd. He still walked in anyway, thinking that he could use some time to reply to people or check up on any updates while he’s at it.

Pulling out his phone, Daniel fiddles with the Calendar app for the nth time, scrolling up and down as if he hasn’t already had his schedule memorized.

It gets boring soon enough until he straightens with a jolt when he remembers that he was told to text Seongwu about their dinner plans that’s due to happen after _months_ of rescheduling. 

Both of them had their fair share of fault in postponing the dinner - Daniel is busy with the influx of work, Seongwu is busy with, well, his new boyfriend. He has tried to suggest that they can have dinner with Jihoon and catch up over that, but Daniel kindly rejected those ideas on the ground that he would prefer to have his own time with Seongwu, especially after long periods of not seeing each other.

Opening the Message app, he begins drafting his text to Seongwu when he suddenly feels a tap on his shoulder.

The face he sees instantly makes him shut his phone’s screen down, message forgotten as he shoves his phone into his pant’s pocket.

“Hyung?”

The smile he’s greeted with is so wide he wonders how Seongwu’s face is still holding up, although his own face must look the same because his cheeks are hurting from his grin. 

“Hey,” Seongwu starts. Out of the corner of his eyes, Daniel catches him sliding his hands into his pockets as he slots himself into what little space there is between Daniel and the person in front, ignoring Daniel’s fake shocked look at his action. 

“Why are you here?”

“Getting a drink during my break. You?”

“Getting a drink during my break too.” 

They catch each other’s eyes and Daniel understands the implied joke from the twinkle in Seongwu’s orbs. Not needing any more words, they both ignore the fact that Seongwu doesn’t even have regular working hours he needs to adhere to, much less have a _break_ scheduled into his day. All Daniel does is laugh and takes a step forth, Seongwu following right beside him

  


The wait seems to move faster when Seongwu is right here making conversation with him. 

Three months had passed by faster than he had realized, although that is what working does to him, to them. They catch up while moving in minute steps unconsciously, telling story after story complete with animated gestures of things that have happened in between Christmas and now. 

It’s so easy for him to lose himself when Seongwu is around him, and Daniel’s heart jerks at how none of his feelings have changed despite their distance. He makes up for his zoning out with a wide grin, and he watches Seongwu’s eyes crinkle up into moons when he smiles like that too.

Before he knows it, he’s being interrupted by the cashier clearing her throat going _What’s your order?_ for what must be the third time at least given the displeased expression on her face. 

Turning to look at each other at the same time, Daniel and Seongwu burst out into laughter before they each relay their orders in between giggles, heads dipping with shy smiles when they both realize what just happened.

Their conversation continues during their wait for their drinks, lifting up as if it never stopped despite the pause they took. It makes Daniel a little dizzy, how easy everything seems to be when it comes to Seongwu.

When Daniel hears his order being called, he walks up to the counter with his straw ready. Seongwu slides up beside him not a second later. The server passes him two drinks, which he receives with a lift of his lips.

Daniel doesn’t question it, knowing his hyung’s rather eccentric habits from time to time. Caffeine overdose could just be something he’s developed without Daniel knowing.

“Where are you going after this?” Daniel inquires, nerves now more calmed after he’s taken a sip of his beverage. He almost forgets that there’s a pile of documents sitting atop his desk.

“Actually… do you want to join us?”

Following Seongwu’s gaze, Daniel’s eyes rest on the top of Jihoon’s head. As if on cue, Jihoon looks up from his phone when he spots Seongwu looking at him. 

The smile that breaks out on his face is beautiful, to say the least, and Daniel gets a polite nod of acknowledgement when Jihoon’s gaze drifts to the person beside his boyfriend. 

Okay. Well.

Daniel takes a deep breath as he considers his choices.

He should say no.

He has a thousand reasons to say no. 

His dog is throwing up at home and he needs to rush home to watch him (he owns three cats, two of which Seongwu helped name). The coffee is for Jisung and he’ll get killed if he doesn’t return soon (Jisung’s office is several levels above his and they barely have any time to meet despite working in the same building, Seongwu knows). He has a deadline later that he needs to meet (plausible, but still fake).

Between Seongwu’s expectant, shining gaze and Jihoon’s inviting eyes, Daniel finds it hard to even string a coherent sentence together.

“Sure.”

Immediately, a space is made for him as Seongwu shifts further into the booth. Gripping harder onto his cup, Daniel takes the offered seat with a smile, hoping it doesn’t look as forced as it feels.

  


Some ten minutes in and maybe this isn’t as bad an idea as he thought it would be.

Jihoon is pleasant to be around - he chips in when there’s room for it, he stays silent and listening to Seongwu or Daniel otherwise. In fact, Daniel doesn’t have much complaints about Seongwu’s new boy at all. 

His nose scrunches up when he remembers the other douchebags he’s had the misfortune of meeting thanks to Seongwu, and how he’s had to nurse Seongwu out of those breakups while the other guy walked down their school halls looking stress free. 

They quickly establish that Daniel’s actually older than Jihoon, and that Jihoon was actually a student at their university as well, albeit a junior. 

He was in the school’s dance club, and they met when Seongwu decided to pay a visit last year. Together with Seongwu, the three of them find themselves sharing the woes of being there soon enough. 

Daniel discovers that the juniors are still forced to clean the studio according to the roster, the teacher in charge still has a stick up her ass and productions are still a yearly event. He promises to go back one day, with Seongwu offering to accompany him.

The only con to actually sitting down is having his heart seize every time their fingers link, as if they’re used to having body contact even in the smallest of ways. Daniel fiddles with his own straw.

“Jihoon and I are planning to move in together later this year.”

Daniel tries his best to not look too shocked. “Have you found a place yet?”

“No.” Their hands are definitely linked now, Daniel sees. He shifts his gaze to the serene smile on Seongwu’s face instead. “We sort of just decided on this last week. You’re the first person to know.”

Right as he says it, he looks at Daniel. Just like that, Daniel’s next breath is stolen away. 

He supposes he should feel honoured that he is the first to be informed about such a life changing decision, given that if nothing goes wrong, Daniel might just be sitting right opposite Seongwu’s life partner right now. 

Somehow, he finds it difficult to be genuinely happy.

And it makes him feel like the shittiest friend. 

Before he can relay any deviant of _Congratulations!_ or _Do you need any help?_ though, his phone buzzes obnoxiously, attracting the attention of other customers too.

Turning the volume of his ringer down, Daniel hurriedly excuses himself, walking out of the cafe after Seongwu and Jihoon both nod in understanding.

“Hey, where are you?”

“I’m with Seongwu hyung right now.” Taking a look at his watch, Daniel belatedly realizes that it has been more than an hour since he first stepped out of the office. “Is anything the matter?”

“Your client is sitting right outside your office, saying something about how you were uncontactable by phone and that she needed you urgently for something.”

“...What?” 

He was just checking his phone while waiting for his turn. His secretary might be absent for the day, but Daniel is more than sure that he’s not forgetting any appointments anyone might have made today.

The surprise must be clear in Daniel’s voice, because all Woojin does is sigh. “What do you want me to do about her?”

When Daniel checks back on Seongwu’s table, he finds his hyung looking right back at him, worry etched deep into the frown present on his face. Lifting a thumb up to signal that everything’s fine, Daniel quickly returns his attention back to Woojin.

“Stall her for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

—

Over the years of growing up, friendships waver. That is to be expected. Daniel learnt the lessons the hard way.

If there is one thing that Daniel is proud of in all his years of walking on this planet, it is his friendship with Seongwu.

Seongwu, being the older one, graduated out of college first. Daniel saw him through every step of it. He offered to let Seongwu remain in their college dorm (albeit secretly) until he found a place to stay. He was there to help him move into his new apartment when he finally saved enough money for one.

Without question, Seongwu extended the same kindness to Daniel when it was his turn to suffer the same things most adults go through. 

It is less surprising than it should be, that they still remain good friends to this day. As long as effort is put in from both sides, anything is possible.

Finding his place in a world where Seongwu’s existence was less prominent was difficult.

Back then, clutter could be explained by looming deadlines and a lack of sleep hence effort to actually bother cleaning up. 

It started from Daniel leaving a plate in the sink, thinking he’d wash it later. Seongwu joined him in the procrastination game when he decided to leave his cup there too. The little pile of dishes in the kitchen met the stack of unfolded clothes in their respective rooms. The wrinkled fabrics were greeted by the stacks of takeout boxes in the living room. 

There was a little organization in the chaos, Daniel liked to think. Any cleaning up was done once every two weeks. Dishes would be done in an alternating order. However, these plans were just as prone to change as the weather was. 

Now, there is no one to nag at him to clean the dishes anymore. 

Laundry is a routine he developed only after five months of exasperation when the clothes he wanted to wear could never be found. If he wants to share the bed with someone, he has to travel a whole hour just to get to Seongwu’s house. 

Technically, a trip to the bar delivers an easier solution to his neediness. But he knows from experience no one fits into his side as well as Seongwu does. 

Most of the time, they make do with Facetime as they lull each other into dreamland. There are less instances where they can just chill and hang out, being actual adults with actual responsibilities and bills and taxes to pay now. 

It isn’t wrong to say that they are definitely more than an arm’s distance apart from each other now, both physically and emotionally. The only remedy is the erratic dinners and lunches they share whenever they find time for it.

More than half of his life was spent being Seongwu’s Daniel, and the contrary could be said the same for Seongwu. With all of those years lapsed, Daniel certainly didn’t think it would culminate into this. 

  
  


A loud noise echoes off the walls of the hallway in the middle of the night. Right as the sun set, Jihoon stormed out of their apartment without looking back. Seongwu is more than aware that many hours have passed since then. 

Any plans for take out were effectively cancelled, because any calls Seongwu tried to make didn’t get through. 

Dinner ended up being a lonely affair, in which Seongwu contemplated ordering a bottle of soju or two. As he inhaled his food, he thought better of it and decided on his next destination.

Daniel’s neighbourhood is almost secluded - if he hadn’t been brought here before, he would most probably have lost his way just trying to find the building complex. 

It’s frustrating, yet it’s also so much like Daniel to want to find peace and hide out after long hours of work.

What seems like a few minutes pass and Seongwu is left to think through his actions as crickets chirp in the background. The air remains still otherwise. Maybe he should have knocked like any other adult would instead of slamming his palm against the wooden surface. 

Right now, all that runs through his mind is the need to see a certain tuft of black hair, preferably sitting atop the head of a ridiculously large sized human pup.

Whatever, it’s Daniel’s fault for having a spoiled doorbell.

More silence greets him. He is fully aware that his presence at this time may not be as welcome, but he also knows Daniel has never been one to turn in early. 

Apparently, tonight is an exception. Or maybe it isn’t that early anymore. 

After getting most of his calls directed to voicemail, Seongwu long lost interest in trying to appease the intermittent vibrations his phone made. Jihoon takes years to get over something - much less something of this magnitude - any message will certainly not be from him.

He has already pushed himself off the wall beside Daniel’s door, ready to head towards the lift with his hands in his pockets when he hears the click of the door handle turning.

“Hyung?” 

Judging by the dishevelled state of Daniel’s hair, Seongwu must have waited this long because he had been trying to get himself out of bed. 

The hand that isn’t on the door is rubbing at his eyes in an effort to adjust to the light coming from the bright moon tonight, illuminating their surroundings. Now that he’s faced with the same person he wanted to see, Seongwu suddenly finds himself at a loss. 

Out of the lack of a better reaction, Seongwu’s eyes travel down the entire length of Daniel’s body as he takes in the slightly puffy face, navy pajamas... and the bunny bedroom slippers. 

Seemingly having noticed where Seongwu’s attention is fixated on, Daniel’s feet shuffle self-consciously. 

“Hyung,” he tries again. Seongwu peels his eyes away from the furry shoes to meet Daniel’s eyes. “It’s 3 a.m.”

Seongwu blinks. He knew it was late, but he didn’t know that it’s that late. Schooling his expression into one of neutrality, he lies. 

“I’m aware.”

“And?”

“Do you remember the marriage pact we made when we were in college?” The rubbing of his eyes stop abruptly. Seongwu takes Daniel’s lack of protest as permission to continue. 

“Let’s get married now.”

It’s Daniel’s turn to blink. 

He should have trusted his instincts. A part of him told him not to open the door when he was first roused by the loud sound, that whatever was behind it musn’t be good. He briefly wondered if his house was about to get broken into, before discerning that thieves probably aren’t this polite. 

Even as he dragged himself to the door, a sense of dread weighed him down. He didn’t think he’d ever want Seongwu to take back the same words he has been waiting to hear ever since they made the pact. If it’s any consolation, at least Seongwu remembered the words he uttered while inebriated. Daniel doubts that Seongwu remembers the way his heart beat so loud he was scared Seongwu could hear or feel it from the way they were pressed against each other though.

“...Are you drunk?”

Seongwu frowned. Daniel can’t possibly want to leave Seongwu high and dry like that, can he?

“I’m not,” _though I wish I am_ , he muses. “I wasn’t even that drunk when I said it, Daniel.”

_What about Jihoon?_ Daniel wants to ask, considering the last time he saw Seongwu, they both seemed to be doing well. Moving in together isn’t a decision Seongwu would rush into, Daniel knows. 

The fact that his hyung is here at his doorstep though, asking to uphold his end of the stupid agreement they made in the middle of Hangang river seven years ago speaks volumes about his relationship status. Instead, Daniel sighs. 

“You should go home. It’s late, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Seongwu lifts a leg then to slide it between the door and its frame. He tilts his head. “Is that an _okay_?”

Daniel gives it a minute. Seongwu makes no other effort to indicate that he is about to leave any time soon. He mentally goes through the consequences of simply shutting the door. 

Just like seven years ago, Daniel takes his time to answer.

Just like seven years ago, Seongwu waits for a no to come.

“Okay.”

The grin he receives is saccharine and if he deludes himself a little more, he thinks he sees Seongwu’s shoulders sag in relief. For now, Daniel is more than happy to throw himself back under his covers before he begins to rethink his decision. He figures any details can be filled in when he is less shocked at his own words. 

“Great. Goodnight, Daniel.”

“Goodnight.”

  
  


A loud crash startles Daniel awake. 

The sound is akin to glass shattering and Daniel prays that it isn’t one of his windows that has been broken. But then again, he lives on the 20th floor. 

He throws his arm over his eyes and lies there for a few moments, welcoming anything and all things evil to take him away there and then. 

Is it possible for thieves to get away with robbery in broad daylight or has a murderer finally deemed him a worthy target?

He briefly registers the sound of the television turned to what must be the kids channel, given the prepubescent voices greeting each other good morning being considerably louder than anything else in the apartment. Otherwise, nothing looks considerably stray - except maybe the few cushions that do not seem to be in their usual position. When he shuffles his way to the kitchen where the sound originated from, he finds the culprit on the ground. 

With coffee powder scattered all over the floor. 

Seongwu stares at him with his eyes comically widened, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights. Daniel can’t even find it in himself to be mad.

After the door shut in his face yesterday, Seongwu was more than ready to go home even though his mind was buzzing with a thousand ideas of how the wedding could be.

When he reached the streets, however, he was greeted with the reality of no cars being available to pick him up. 

Believe me when I said I tried, Seongwu pleaded when the door opened to Daniel’s less than kept state of hair once again. When the door slamming sounded, Daniel had peeked at the clock before getting up. 

Less than thirty minutes had passed. 

Knowing who was on the other side of the door made Daniel move faster, though it didn’t make him want to get up any more. Regardless, Seongwu was shown the way to the guest room and a set of spare pajamas before Daniel shuffled his way back to his own bed, ready to shut himself off from the world for more hours this time.

Seongwu’s hands attempt to salvage what’s left of the container that held the powder, and Daniel lowers himself to gently remove Seongwu’s hands from the mess.

Turning Seongwu’s hands around, Daniel dusts coffee powder off his outstretched fingers while inspecting it at the same time. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“No,” Seongwu gets ahold of Daniel’s hands instead. At the contact, Daniel looks up. Seongwu seems as surprised as he is at his reaction. Daniel takes in a breath to ground himself. “I’m really sorry about it. I’ll clean it up and get you a new one-“

Forcing the corners of his lips up into a smile, Daniel finishes wiping off Seongwu’s hands and gestures him to get them washed instead. Seongwu heeds him without much resistance, and Daniel begins picking up the pieces of shattered glass. 

Knowing Seongwu, it would have been a matter of time before he actually gets hurt anyway. Taking care of Seongwu is something that is so ingrained into him that he never had to think about it - still never has to think about it. 

“It’s fine.”

Seongwu lingers around for a few more moments after that, clearly guilty about troubling Daniel for his clumsiness when he’s already intruding into his personal space. Daniel waves him off with assurances that he doesn’t mind, that he was already thinking of switching to capsules anyway. 

From his peripheral vision, he catches a glimpse of Seongwu bringing a plate out to the living room. When the area appears clean enough, he pushes himself up after clearing the last of the coffee powder.

Eventually, a blanket of comfortable silence settles over them both. Daniel washes his hands and throws the remnants of the accident away while the television plays the latest episode of Spongebob Squarepants. Seongwu watches too attentively for someone his age. 

“There’s food for you on the counter,” Seongwu shouts from the couch. 

His stomach emits a growl right as Seongwu notifies him there’s breakfast, and it squeezes a giggle right out from Seongwu who is more than ten steps away. 

“My sister will probably scream at me when she finds out that you’re the husband I’m talking about.”

“You mean your _husband-to-be_.” Just saying the word out loud feels surreal to Daniel. It has adrenaline coursing through his veins in both the good and bad way. 

In case Seongwu notices that his hands are getting shaky, Daniel opts to hydrate himself, ignoring the nagging in his brain that goes he has already told his sister.

“What’s the difference? You’re going to be mine eventually anyway.” 

The way Seongwu grins like this is anything to be proud of, like marrying Daniel is one of the things he can list on his resume almost sends Daniel’s heart out of its ribcage. 

“The difference is I get to say no any moment I see a Spiderman walking around the streets.”

Setting his drink down on the kitchen island, Daniel picks up the prepared meal and strides over to join Seongwu where he is lounging on the couch. 

Daniel’s definitely looking forward to working with his favourite partner in crime - he just didn’t expect their first collaboration in a long while to be a marriage. Maybe it’s the fact that the clock had just struck 10. Maybe it’s the way Seongwu is sitting on his couch looking like he belongs there, in Daniel’s house, in Daniel’s life. 

Truth is, Daniel might need a few more pep talks before he thinks he is ready to deal with the catastrophe that is to come.

“Really? You would pick Spiderman over me?” Fixing Daniel with an incredulous look, Seongwu wrinkles his nose in distaste. Daniel bites into his toast to suppress the urge to press a kiss to the tip of Seongwu’s nose instead. 

The lull of Spongebob finding yet another way to prank Squidward quickly replaces their voices, and Daniel assumes that the topic is dropped. He’s still busy finishing up his mouthful of toast when the couch suddenly shifts with Seongwu’s weight, as if he has just thought of a question that needs an immediate answer _or else_. 

“But would you really?” 

Seongwu’s body is facing away from the screen entirely. The slight frown of his eyebrows betrays the joking tone of the question, shedding light on Seongwu’s intentions. It’s like he had given it some thought yet he continued to deem it as a definitely plausible happening. 

“I know I sprung this up on you last night, and we made this pact seven years ago anyway. You can tell me no and I won’t hold it against you. You don’t have to feel obligated to play along just because I’m jilted _and_ 27.”

_You could be married and 30 and I’ll still sweep you right off your feet if you asked_ sits at the tip of Daniel’s tongue before he realizes that doesn’t exactly sit well with the values his mom taught him. 

No, Kang Daniel is much better than that. 

“I said yes, did I not?” Daniel says with the hope that if he repeats it enough, he’ll start to believe it too. 

The quirk of his eyebrows isn’t convincing though. Daniel knows from the way Seongwu’s gaze doesn’t leave his face, as if staring longer would allow him to find a crack in Daniel’s facade. 

“I’m exhausted from work, that’s all.” Now _that_ isn’t a lie. 

Having to deal with contractors and a stressed secretary whose boss seems to be missing all the time is no breeze, and that isn’t even his only project. 

“Plus you’re the one who’s great at planning. Just let me know when the cake testing will be. I’ll definitely free up my day for that.”

It works in appeasing Seongwu, for Daniel is rewarded with a grin that tugs the ends of Seongwu’s lips up with no hesitation. He finds himself smiling a little too.

“If that’s so, you better strap in and sit tight - because we’re in for a ride.”

A ride might be an understatement, actually. From experience, there is not one plan between them that hasn’t had some kind of fuck up along the way at least. The only salvage is that Seongwu has probably already thought of a solution for such situations. Daniel is just there for the fun of it. 

  


For now, if being married means he gets to wake up to breakfast, who is he to complain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i had to throw u away that quickly @ jihoon but i promise he'll be back soon.... in one way or another
> 
> as always do leave comments or kudos if you enjoyed this because... because writing is difficult and i am halfway into my grave just thinking about this fic every single day :(

**Author's Note:**

> title is taken from [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE) because i was trying to find songs to listen to while writing and then i realized..... katy perry is The Ongniel Aesthetic 
> 
> ...i have no excuse for this
> 
> i already have 20+k of this written but due to life i stopped for a while... this is still my baby that i don't really want to give up so i hope that posting a first chapter will motivate me to continue the rest of this at least :(
> 
> feel free to shame me [here](https://twitter.com/mercurytweeting) (yes it's created just for writing)(please be my friend)(i have a few other things waiting to be posted too)(don't ask me i have no idea what i'm doing with 9892347 drafts sitting in my docs too)(please Shame me)
> 
> otherwise kudos and comments will be greatly appreciated! i haven't posted anything in a long time and am still trying to figure my way around things.... please be gentle (｡╯︵╰｡)


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